DEI Monthly Newsletter
August 2026
August 2026 | 12 mins read
Highlights of the Month
August 2026 was an active and enriching month across the Directorate and SRM BioNEST, bringing together students, researchers, innovators and industry experts through workshops, expert sessions and facility engagement. Awareness sessions on intellectual property and startup policy reached students across departments, funding and lean-startup workshops ran with the Department of Aerospace Engineering, the team carried research commercialisation to SRM University–AP, and BioNEST hosted hands-on instrumentation training alongside expert conversations on medical devices and healthcare IP. The month's activities reflect our continued commitment to strengthening scientific skills, promoting innovation, and supporting the translation of ideas into real-world solutions.
IP & Startup Policy Orientation – College of Pharmacy
Every groundbreaking idea starts with awareness, curiosity, and the courage to think differently. The Directorate of Entrepreneurship & Innovation (DEI), SRMIST, conducted an Orientation Session on Intellectual Property (IP) & Startup Policy for the first-year students of the College of Pharmacy.
The session introduced students to the fundamentals of intellectual property, the importance of protecting innovative ideas, and the opportunities available through SRMIST's startup ecosystem. A heartfelt thank you to the College of Pharmacy, SRMIST, for organising this session and for nurturing the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs.
Raising Capital and Managing Finance for Startups
Great startups need great financial strategy. From raising capital to managing finances, understanding the numbers is key to turning a promising startup into a sustainable venture. DEI, in association with the Department of Aerospace Engineering, organised a session on "Raising Capital and Managing Finance for Startups" on 10 August 2026.
The session covered the startup funding landscape, financial planning and forecasting, investor expectations and pitch readiness, and managing finances for sustainable growth — understand, plan, fund, grow.
Lean Start-Up & Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
Build smart, launch lean, grow faster. Great startups don't begin with perfect products — they begin with validated ideas, real user feedback, and the courage to iterate. DEI, in association with the Department of Aerospace Engineering, hosted a session on "Lean Start-Up & Minimum Viable Product (MVP)" on 12 August 2026 for aspiring founders and innovators.
From understanding lean startup principles to developing an MVP and validating ideas with real users, the session helped participants turn promising ideas into scalable startup opportunities. Think less about building everything; start by building what matters.
Idea to Impact – Research Commercialisation at SRM University–AP
It was an honour for the SRM DEI team to be invited by SRM University–AP for an engaging workshop focused on transforming research into meaningful, market-ready solutions. Day 1 — "Idea to Impact: A Workshop on Research Commercialization" — set the tone with two sessions led by our team from the Technology Transfer Office (TTO): "Exploring the Journey of Idea to Commercialization," followed by a hands-on session on "Creating & Identifying Value in Research."
With high participation, active discussions and an overwhelmingly positive response, participants explored how research ideas can move beyond publications and prototypes to create real value, impact, and pathways to commercialisation. A heartfelt thank you to SRM University–AP for the warm invitation and the opportunity to share our perspectives and learn together. Great research doesn't stop at discovery — it begins its next journey when it creates value and reaches the world.
600+ Patents Granted
We are proud to celebrate 600+ patents granted, a remarkable milestone that reflects SRM Institute of Science and Technology's unwavering commitment to research, innovation, and intellectual property.
This milestone is the result of the collective efforts of our visionary researchers, dedicated faculty, passionate innovators, students and inventors, whose commitment to excellence continues to drive meaningful innovation. A sincere thank you to every inventor, collaborator and stakeholder who has been part of this journey. Here's to the next 600 and beyond.
User-Centric Product Design – Innovation Sprint
What happens when UX meets AI, product thinking and real-world industry expertise? As part of the Innovation Sprint Program for School of Computing students, DEI hosted an expert session on User-Centric Product Design with Mr. Nikhil Welankar, Founder, WENNOVATE GLOBAL LLP.
From user research and affinity analysis to task-flow mapping, information architecture, wireframing, visual design and developer handoff, the session offered students a practical understanding of how ideas evolve into meaningful product experiences. The conversation also explored how AI is reshaping the design process — from research and ideation to design automation and usability testing. Beyond aesthetics, students discovered how design creates measurable business value through customer satisfaction, conversions, productivity, cost savings and UX ROI.
The key takeaway: great products aren't built around technology alone. They begin with people, are shaped by user insights, and succeed through measurable impact.
Entrepreneurship Outreach in the Hostels
Who said entrepreneurship has to be serious? The DEI team took entrepreneurship beyond the classroom and into the hostels. Our first-year students jumped into a fun-filled, high-energy outreach activity packed with curiosity, competition, laughter and a few surprising discoveries.
Through an engaging challenge, students explored the world of startups, innovation, problem-solving, sectors, and the stories behind some of the brands they see around them. The best part? They didn't just learn about startups — they discovered them. From "I know this!" to "Wait, what does this startup do?", every round sparked conversations, new discoveries and plenty of excitement. This is how we are building an entrepreneurial mindset: one conversation, one discovery, and one student at a time.
Onam Celebrations
Wishing everyone a colourful and blessed Onam filled with happiness, harmony and new beginnings from all of us at DEI.
SRM BioNEST – August Highlights
August was a month of learning, innovation and industry engagement at SRM BioNEST, bringing together students, researchers, innovators and experts through workshops, knowledge-sharing sessions and facility engagement.
Five Day National Workshop on Advanced Proteomics Research
BioNEST hosted a five-day national workshop on "Advanced Proteomics Research for Modern Drug Discovery – 2026," giving participants an in-depth grounding in proteomics techniques and their application to modern drug discovery.
FLAB AKTA Pure Workshop – 17 August 2026
Participants gained hands-on exposure to the AKTA Pure protein purification system at the BioNEST facility, working directly with the instrumentation and its workflows.
IPR for the Medical Landscape – 20 August 2026
We were delighted to host a session on "From Innovation to Ownership: IPR in the Medical & Healthcare Landscape," bringing together researchers, students, innovators, startups, entrepreneurs and healthcare professionals. 45 enthusiastic participants joined the webinar and interacted with the speaker to learn about IPR and technology transfer.
A heartfelt thank you to Dr. Kalpana Sastry Regulagedda, IPR & Regulatory Professional, for sharing valuable insights and practical perspectives on protecting healthcare innovations and taking them from research to IP to commercialisation — and to everyone who participated and made the session meaningful.
From Idea to Impact: Building Medical Devices for the Real World – 28 August 2026
We successfully concluded the "From Idea to Impact: Building Medical Devices for the Real World" workshop at SRM BioNEST, bringing together researchers, innovators, students, entrepreneurs and healthcare professionals for a hands-on exploration of medical device innovation. More than 30 medical device innovators, including entrepreneurs, students and faculty, attended.
A big thank you to our expert speakers, Mr. Venkatesh Parthasarathy, Co-Founder, Prodancy Pvt Ltd, and Ms. Saumya Jain, Industrial Designer, Prodancy, for sharing valuable industry perspectives on medical device design, prototyping, validation, regulatory essentials, user-centric design and commercialisation. The enthusiastic participation and engaging discussions made the workshop truly meaningful.
Student and Visitor Engagement at the BioNEST Facility
An array of visitors walked through BioNEST and left inspired — students from the Agri campus and the Biomedical department, and Russian scholars, to name a few.
Facility Access
Are you a researcher, student, or startup founder in need of high-end analytical instrumentation or wet lab infrastructure to elevate your work? BioNEST offers streamlined digital access to its research facilities. Reserve equipment and lab slots online at birac.srmdei.com/FacilitiesServices.
Closing Note
August carried the ecosystem outward — funding and lean-startup workshops with Aerospace Engineering, IP awareness reaching first-year students, research commercialisation shared with SRM University–AP, a 600-patent milestone, and a steady stream of expert sessions and hands-on training at BioNEST. We remain committed to building an environment where ideas are protected, funded, and carried all the way from prototype to product.